The quintessential Quarter Horse! We are celebrating these horses as our October Breed of the Month on YourDressage!
Did you know that dressage riders who choose an American Quarter Horse as their dressage mount are eligible for special awards through the Adequan®/USDF All-Breeds Awards program, as the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) is a participating organization?
Here, an adult amateur from Region 3 shares the story of the yearling filly she accidentally purchased, and their journey to the top of the AQHA All-Breeds Awards standings for 2024!
By Sarah Chabot
Every part of my journey with Juno, aka “Whatever She’s Havin,” has been full of surprises – and trust me, some of them came with raised eyebrows!
The first surprise came when I bought her. At the time, I was showing her half-brother, but he was nearing retirement, so I figured I should start looking for a new partner. I shot an email to the breeder with an offer that I thought would get laughed off. I didn’t even bother mentioning it to my husband; instead I just closed the laptop and went to bed. The next morning, I got a call from Robin DeGraff saying, “Deal!” And that’s when I had to break it to my husband: I’d just bought a yearling, sight unseen, off the internet. Oops?
Juno came home and joined two other yearlings in the pasture, and we started bringing her along so I could show her in the over-fences and all-around classes at AQHA shows. But, of course, life threw another curveball – she got a minor injury and needed time off.
As it turns out, Juno is not what you’d call a model patient. Recovery was an ongoing battle as she kept reinjuring herself. After two and a half years of managed exercise, stall rest, water treadmills, and trying every therapy known to man (or horse), my vet, Dr. Phillip Hammock, and I decided to turn her out and let her tell us if she was ready to come back. So, she lived in the pasture outside my house with the retired showhorse she was supposed to replace. Ironic, much?
Meanwhile, I was dealing with my own life changes: I lost my father, who had been my mentor and best friend in the horse world, and my longtime trainer retired. I needed something new. Enter Mr. Gibbs, aka “Sweet N Fabulous,” who had also had some time off during the COVID-19 pandemic and needed a fresh start.
A friend suggested a dressage clinic to help him find some balance (literally and figuratively), so we went to one lesson with Emily Brollier Curtis at Miramonte Equestrian – and just like that, I was hooked. Before I knew it, I had a dressage bridle, a saddle, and we were off to our first USDF-recognized show in 2022. We qualified for the Great American/USDF Region 3 Dressage Championships, snagged a high score at a local show, and took home reserve trophies at the AQHA World Championships. I started feeling a little “dressage-ish.”
Then, in winter, I got another surprise from Juno’s breeder, who asked if I wanted to sell her back as a broodmare. My husband, Andy – my biggest cheerleader – took one look at Juno in the pasture and said, “I don’t think your journey with her is over yet.” And you know what? He was right. So, in the spring, my AQHA trainer, Delaney Rostad, and I decided to see if Juno could come back to work.
Fast-forward to the summer of 2023: Mr. Gibbs came in from turnout with a mystery bump and a slight lameness. We decided to give him some time off, leaving me without a ride once again. Meanwhile, Juno had been easing back into flat work, though she clearly wasn’t loving it. Let’s just say she was living her best feral life – 24/7 turnout, unruly on the lunge line, wild in the crossties, and her coat was… well, less than glamorous.
Still, I decided to give her a shot in dressage. After a few rides in my dressage tack, I sent a video to Emily, bracing myself for her reaction. Instead, she texted, “Go for it!” So, we packed up and headed to the Kentucky Dressage Association (KDA) Summer Show. Juno scored a 59% and 68% in our first show – a real strikes-and-gutters kind of weekend – but we had a blast. She seemed to enjoy the work, and I was just happy to be back on a journey with her.
From there, we got to work, breaking through her past Western training and building more forward movement. With her Quarter Horse background, we were already solid at lead changes and some general body control, but we needed more strength and impulsion. Week by week, she improved, and at our second USDF show in Tennessee, we picked up our second score to qualify for Regionals and a 71%. Emily kept saying, “There’s something I like about this one,” so we pressed on with clinics and lessons.
Then, in January 2024, Emily suffered a life-threatening fall and spent two weeks in a coma. My friend and guiding star on this dressage journey was fighting the hardest battle of her life. We didn’t know if she’d walk again, much less return to the horse world. While her team and her family took care of her, the only thing I knew to do was keep riding, hoping she’d be back with us soon.
And she was – Emily’s return to coaching was nothing short of a miracle. At one of her first shows back, she carefully walked to the arena with a neck brace, barely able to speak, but her instincts as a coach were as strong as ever. She helped guide all of the barn through warmups like she’d never missed a beat.
This year, Juno ended up second in the Adequan®/USDF All-Breeds Awards for AQHA at First Level, qualified for Regionals at First and Second Level, and continues to improve. Her transformation has been such a wild and rewarding ride. Now, we’re looking ahead to a winter full of clinics, lessons, and growth, and I couldn’t be more grateful that our journey is far from over!
